Has anyone tried Alton Brown's method of making Jerky?

hannibal · Aug 3, 2010

Just curious if anyone has tried the fan and furnace-filter method in the following videos. If so, how did it turn out?

Any thoughts on this process?

Part I

Part II

hannibal · Aug 4, 2010

Shameless bump, cause I can.

beer-b-q · Aug 4, 2010

I have serious doubts that any of the more experienced members would use anything Alton Brown does as some of his methods are very questionable.

I would suggest getting a copy of "Great Sausage Recipes and Meat Curing by Rytek Kutas" and use his recipes and methods.

eman · Aug 4, 2010

Beer-B-Q said:
I have serious doubts that any of the more experienced memberss would use anything Alton Brown does as some of his methods are very questionable.

I would suggest getting a copy of "Great Sausage Recipes and Meat Curing by Rytek Kutas" and use his recipes and methods.

Not near as experianced as BBQ, But i definatly agree w/ not useing Altons techniques..

He is fun to watch and he does some crazy stuff.

hannibal · Aug 4, 2010

Thanks for your input eman.

Bearcarver · Aug 4, 2010

Don't know if you ever used Tender Quick cure, but my son & I used this recipe from Morton Salt, and it was GREAT!

Cured Jerky

1 pound lean meat

1 tablespoon commercial curing salt (IE. Morton Tender Quick Mix)

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

This method will produce the typical reddish color associated with commercial jerky.

Trim fat from meat.

Cut into 1/4 thick slices, about 1 - 1 1/2 inches wide.

Mix together curing salt, and seasoning.

Rub all surfaces of meat strips with salt mix.

Place in plastic bag and refrigerate for 1 hour (any cure & seasoning that falls off, throw into the bag too).

Rinse cured meat under running water.

Pat dry with paper towels.

Smoke at 150 degrees.

Leave it in the bag for 2 hours, if you cut the pieces a little thicker.

Bearcarver

mballi3011 · Aug 4, 2010

Now I like Alton Brown's show and I even watch it from time to time. I really don't think that I would put raw meat in an A/C filter and then in a open window. Something about that just hits me wrong. So try if you want to but I think that I will keep using my dehydrator for jerky making.

meateater · Aug 4, 2010

He's a funny guy to watch but I'll stick to the methods I've learned on SMF.

shtrdave · Aug 4, 2010

I don't see anything wrong with the way he is doing it, it has salt in it so it would be cured to a point and if completely dry it won't have moisture for mold to grow on.

I use a dehydrator but would have no problem doing it the way he did his, the only problem I see is that if you live in a humid area it wold take longer to dry so you may be better off making this recipe in the winter months.

herkysprings · Aug 9, 2010

This technique and recipe work quite well. If you just want to make some jerky for a first time try and make it taste good, this all works just fine.

I've made 3 batches of this and never had an issue. You just make need to remove thinner pieces and re-stock the dryer with the remaining thicker peices. Also trim the fat very well.

The filters can maybe be used twice, but after that I wouldnt. The fan can be used for as long as the fan lasts!

pineywoods · Aug 9, 2010

Instead of using Alton Brown's method and recipe use the one Bearcarver posted and you'll be much safer and more than likey get a better product.

Paul you can mark me as one who will likely not ever follow any of Alton Brown's methods

scarbelly · Aug 10, 2010

You can add me to the list of folks who will not gamble using his methods -

There is another book that I recently bought in addition to the Rytek Kutas book. I bought the Chartcuterie book and it too has some great recipes in it that are safe

ak1 · Aug 10, 2010

There are several issues to consider when using Alton's method.

What is most important is that proper temperatures are maintained. Given my experience, this method can work but only if it is used when temperatures are cold, typically late fall to early spring.

Also, the provenance of the meat should be known, i.e. you know where the meat came from and how it was raised. If it was raised organically without additives, and was free ranging, and slaughtered in controlled conditions, then I would be OK with using the methods presented. If on the other hand I bought the meat at a store and had no idea where it came from and how it was raised, I would use proper USDA approved methods. Anything else has the risk, whether large or small, of making you ill.

sqwib · Aug 10, 2010

I have made biltong with the only heat source being a 40 watt bulb.

Heres my post on it Post

If I make jerky I always make sure to use TQ and some red wine vinegar

Bearcarver · Aug 10, 2010

Nice job SQWIB,

TQ or other cures take care of a lot of safety factors.

Those who use it, instead of Mr. Brown's recipes, don't have to get the steer to give it's name, rank, and serial number at time of execution. Nor do we have to know what county of what state he came from, or what cows he hung out with during his grazing days as a calf.

"Curing" is the name of the game, whenever we talk about low heat & long smoking.

We could do low heat & long smoking without cure (especially Jerky, because it's so thin) many times, without getting sick or dying, but one of those times it could come back & bite us in the you know what.

That's why so many of us try to explain "salt is not a cure".

Thanks for showing,

Bear

hannibal · Aug 13, 2010

Thanks for all of the input guys.

canadianjerky · Aug 17, 2010

I havent tried his method, but I use his recipe almost exclusively. I find it's a simple, easy, and super tasty recipe.

Cheers

upsman · Nov 22, 2010

Hannibal found this where the jerky method was used. think it really would work myself but the main issue to me in doing the jerky this way is the fat content of the meat would have to be almost none.check this link out.

http://www.picklesandbeefjerky.com//content/view/50/

BandCollector · Nov 24, 2010

This process that Alton Brown showed is not the only way he makes jerky. I have tried other methods and recipes he has demonstrated with great results. Go onto the Food Channel websight and do some searching under his name and you'll find other methods which don't look so perilous.

Good luck, John

Bearcarver · Nov 26, 2010

BandCollector said:
This process that Alton Brown showed is not the only way he makes jerky. I have tried other methods and recipes he has demonstrated with great results. Go onto the Food Channel websight and do some searching under his name and you'll find other methods which don't look so perilous.

Good luck, John

That's one of the big problems with people who have initials like A.B.

They have so many recipes out there that are perfectly safe, so they get many people thinking everything they do is great & safe.

Then people point out a few of their recipes could be dangerous and/or deadly.

Then all of the people who think AB's shots don't stink start defending him, and the big fight starts.

The people who know what isn't safe, when they see it, argue with the people who think AB is some kind of Genius Cooking GOD.

So instead of saying everything this person or that person does is correct or incorrect, lets look at the individual recipe, like BandCollector says, and in my opinion, the recipe that started this thread is not a recipe that should be used by anyone who watches the amount of bacteria consumed, instead of or along with calories & carbs.

Bear

Has anyone tried Alton Brown's method of making Jerky?

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